2Then God said, ‘Take your son, your only son, whom you love – Isaac – and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain that I will show you.’

3Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. 4On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5He said to his servants, ‘Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.’

6Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, 7Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, ‘Father?’

‘Yes, my son?’ Abraham replied.

‘The fire and wood are here,’ Isaac said, ‘but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?’

8Abraham answered, ‘God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.’ And the two of them went on together.

9When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, ‘Abraham! Abraham!’

‘Here I am,’ he replied.

12‘Do not lay a hand on the boy,’ he said. ‘Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.’

13Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram#22:13 Many manuscripts of the Masoretic Text, Samaritan Pentateuch, Septuagint and Syriac; most manuscripts of the Masoretic Text a ram behind him caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, ‘On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.’

15The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time 16and said, ‘I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, 18and through your offspring#22:18 Or seed all nations on earth will be blessed,#22:18 Or and all nations on earth will use the name of your offspring in blessings (see 48:20) because you have obeyed me.’

19Then Abraham returned to his servants, and they set off together for Beersheba. And Abraham stayed in Beersheba.

Nahor’s sons

20Some time later Abraham was told, ‘Milkah is also a mother; she has borne sons to your brother Nahor:

21Uz the firstborn, Buz his brother,

Kemuel (the father of Aram),

22Kesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph and Bethuel.’

23Bethuel became the father of Rebekah.

Milkah bore these eight sons to Abraham’s brother Nahor.

24His concubine, whose name was Reumah, also had sons:

Tebah, Gaham, Tahash and Maakah.

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Genesis 22

The Sacrifice of Isaac

1#Heb 11:17; Dt 8:2After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!”

And he said, “Here I am.”

2#2Ch 3:1; Jn 3:16Then He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.”

3So Abraham rose up early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place that God had told him. 4Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from a distance. 5Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I will go over there and worship and then return to you.”

6#Jn 19:17So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand and the knife. So the two of them walked on together. 7But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!”

And he said, “Here I am, my son.”

Then he said, “Here is the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”

8#Jn 1:36; 1:29Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” So the two of them went together.

9#Jas 2:21Then they came to the place that God had told him. So Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on the wood. 10Then Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11#Ge 16:7; 16:9–10But the angel of the Lord called to him out of heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!”

And he said, “Here I am.”

12#1Sa 15:22; Jas 2:21–22Then He said, “Do not lay your hands on the boy or do anything to him, because now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your only son from Me.”

13Then Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by his horns. So Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up as a burnt offering in the place of his son. 14#Ge 22:8; Ex 17:15Abraham called the name of that place The Lord Will Provide, as it is said to this day, “In the mount of the Lord it will be provided.”

15Then the angel of the Lord called to Abraham out of heaven a second time, 16#Lk 1:73; Ps 105:9and said, “By Myself I have sworn, says the Lord, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17#Ge 15:5; 24:60I will indeed bless you and I will indeed multiply your descendants as the stars of the heavens and as the sand that is on the seashore. Your descendants will possess the gate of their enemies. 18#Ge 12:3; Ac 3:25; Ge 18:18Through your offspring all the nations of the earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”

19#Ge 21:31So Abraham returned to his young men, and they arose and went together to Beersheba. Then Abraham lived at Beersheba.

Sons of Nahor

20#Ge 11:29; 24:24After these things Abraham was told, “Milkah has also borne children to your brother Nahor: 21#Job 1:1Uz his firstborn, Buz his brother, Kemuel the father of Aram, 22Kesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.” 23#Ge 24:15Bethuel became the father of Rebekah. Milkah gave birth to these eight to Nahor, Abraham’s brother. 24His concubine, whose name was Reumah, also bore Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maakah.

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Genesis 22

Genesis 22